CROATIA'S COAST GUARD: A WORK IN PROGRESS

C O N F I D E N T I A L ZAGREB 000724

SIPDIS


DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SCE, NP/RA:SONTAG, NP/ECC:MAGOULAS,
INL/AAE:HARTSHORN, L/OES:ROACH
DEFENSE FOR OSD/ISP/EURASIA:WINTERNITZ
HOMELAND SECURITY FOR COAST GUARD AND FOR CBP:LAWRENCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/06/2015
TAGS: MARR PREL MOPS ETTC HR NATO
SUBJECT: CROATIA'S COAST GUARD: A WORK IN PROGRESS

Classified By: POLMIL Off. Justin Friedman, reasons 1.4 (b) & (d)

Summary and Comment
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1. (C) Formation of a Croatian Coast Guard remains a work in
progress. Although the Ministry of Sea, Tourism, Transport
and Development is nominally the first among equals in the
interagency committee created to coordinate Coast Guard (CG)
activities, the Ministries of Interior and Defense are
aggressively protecting their turf. No ministry appears
willing to surrender part of its Coast-Guard-relevant
resources to improve the GoC's overall CG effort.


2. (C) The interagency Coast Guard model the GoC is pursuing
was first proposed by a U.S. Coast Guard assessment in 1996.
The nine years it has taken to get from proposal to
implementation is indicative of the challenges the GoC faces
in making this model work, particularly given ongoing
resource constraints. The U.S.G. initiative to conclude a
bilateral shipboarding agreement under the Proliferation
Security Initiative has helped push the GoC to make key
decisions about operational control. The Croatian Navy is
best positioned to take on the lead role ) at least in
rapid-response interdiction incidents.


3. (C) We can continue to have a positive impact on the
formation of the Croatian Coast Guard through wise use of our
State Dept. EXBS and DS/ATA programs and Defense Department
DTRA and JCTP programs. The planned assessment visit this
summer by Export Control experts and this fall by U.S. Coast
Guard come at the right time both for the GoC and for
planning our future program foci. EU accession-related
programs continue to avoid working on the Coast Guard
challenge. Thus, we are well positioned to have maximum
impact through critical equipment donations and assistance to
develop and exercise operational plans for the new Croatian
CG that will help develop appropriate and effective
interagency coordination and cooperation.

Coast Guard on Paper
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4. (SBU) The Croatian Coast Guard was created by government
decree on August 27, 2004. Under the decree, the Ministry of
Sea, Tourism, Transport, and Development (MMTPR) chairs an
interagency commission charged with coordinating all Coast
Guard activities in Croatia. The Ministries of Interior
(MUP),Defense (MORH),Agriculture (includes fisheries),and
Environment have seats on the commission and contribute
personnel and assets to the Coast Guard. The Ministry of
Foreign Affairs (MFA) also maintains a seat at the table.
According to data provided to us by the MMTPR and MORH, the
Croatian Coast Guard has the following assets at its disposal:

MMTPR MUP MORH Agr. Env.
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Personnel 303 248 580 12 3
Ships >12m 5 5 6 - -
Ships